Why Not?
by JetGriffins89
Summary: James Potter had a good life. He had great parents, loyal friends and the girl he'd been chasing after for years, which is how it was supposed to be. But, things change. If only everyone else could see it his way. Companion to You've Got to Be Kidding Me.
1. Damsel in Distress

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything other than my original characters, plot, and writing. If I did, the Marauders would have lived long, fruitful lives like it was meant to be. That never happened, therefore I own nothing._

**Story Summary: **James Potter had a good life. He had great parents, loyal friends and the girl he'd been chasing after for years, which is how it was supposed to be. But things change and now he wants something else. If only everyone else could see it his way. Companion to _You've Got to Be Kidding Me._

_**Author's Notes: **_Hello all. This is the companion to my other fic, _You've Got to be Kidding Me,_ created because I realized that, in later chapters, I had important events occurring solely from James's point of view. So… this is _KM _from James's point of view, but there are scenes that you don't see in _KM. _Also, you don't have to read _KM _to understand _WN, _although I would suggest reading both.

* * *

Chapter One

Damsel in Distress

_"Hatred comes from the heart; contempt, from the head." –Arthur Schopenhauer

* * *

_

James was having a bad day. During the few short he'd hours before breakfast that he'd been conscious, he'd managed to get into a fight with his girlfriend, annoy McGonagall to the point of detention, and destroy the Tracking Charm on half of the Map. The day hadn't gotten any better as it progressed, either. By evening rounds, he decided that he would merely attempting to get through his Head Boy duties without accidentally kill—

He stumbled, lurching forward and just managing to steady himself against the wall before he could fall flat on his face. James looked down; his trousers were— suddenly and unexpectedly— around his ankles. His belt had even been undone. With a quick motion, he jerked the garment back up and spun around to glare at his friends.

"What was _that _for?" he ground out through clenched teeth. He was really not in the mood for Sirius's childish behavior. Not on top of all the other crap he had going on.

"Damsel in distress down the hall and around the corner," Sirius replied blithely, eyes trained on the Map. He looked back up at James, an almost mocking grin now tugging at his lips. "Isn't that what you're here for, Head Boy Potter?"

James ran a hand over his face and under his glasses, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "Would it have been too difficult for you to just take care of it?"

Sirius shrugged, still grinning. "Unfortunately, I'm off-duty." He leaned against the wall with an elegance James could never hope to duplicate (which he couldn't pull off anyways, with his hair and all) and crossed his arms. It was an effective way to tell James that he wasn't getting involved, the prat.

"That's not it," Remus said. "Sirius doesn't recognize the girl's name, so she must be a lower year, not on his infamous list. And it's Snape that's... distressing her. We thought you'd like to take care of it yourself."

Brilliant. This was just brilliant. With a weary sigh, James drew his wand out and strode off in the direction Sirius had pointed out, swearing under his breath. He really didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Leave. Me. _Alone!"_

James rounded the corner just in time to see Snape twist a girl's arm over her head in a way that did not look comfortable, looming over her menacingly. She was at least… fifteen or so and— from what James could see of her— there was only one obvious reason why Snape would have her pushed between his body and a wall.

Subtly, he motioned for Sirius to hang back and Remus to take care of the frightened girl. They didn't want to startle her too badly, after all.

To be frank (hopefully without being crude as well), she was hot. Slightly taller than average, she had long, well-formed legs and the curve of her hips, all the way up to… well… all the way up, would be distracting on the best of days. And that was just her body; he hadn't even seen her face.

"Oi, Snape!" he shouted, attracting both Snape and the girl's attention. Her doe-like brown eyes were wide and she had her bottom lip held lightly between her teeth; she looked scared.

"Potter," Snape snarled. "Black. Lupin." He let go of the girl and took a step away from her to focus on James. She took a shaky breath, letting her eyes drift shut. "This is none of your business."

Like hell. He couldn't believe that _snake _thought he had the _right _to— to do this to her.

"I'm Head Boy, Snape." Right. Pull the Head Boy card; _that's _going to work. But, she was staring at him with large, scared eyes again and he felt like he at least had to try it. "If you're harassing a student, it _is _my business."

"She's not a student, Potter."

The girl's gaze snapped to Snape, hands planted on her hips and James got his first decent look at her now that her attention wasn't on him and she didn't make him feel like a pervert. Even if his original impression seemed correct and she was near his age and in trouble, he'd never seen her before. She wasn't even in uniform, dressed in Muggle jeans and shirt that only managed to emphasis the— anyways, Snape was right; she wasn't a student.

"That doesn't mean you can _harass _me, you jerk," she snapped at him. She had a foreign accent, too, probably American. She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jeez."

Definitely American.

The Slytherin took a step towards her, but the girl just continued to glare at him. Brave. Very brave, considering how intimidating Snape could be, but she had managed to attract his attention again and completely counteract what James had done.

He stepped even closer, hoping to distract Snape enough for Remus or Sirius to get her away from him and safe. James forced himself to calm down and let the tension in his shoulders fade away as he fell back into the confident— admittedly arrogant— attitude he normally retreated to when dealing with Snape.

"Leave her alone, Snape," he said firmly. "It doesn't matter if she's a student or not. You shouldn't be bothering _anyone _like this."

"Who says I was bothering her?" Snape sneered. "Not everyone falls over themselves for you, Potter."

James rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Of course they do. Where have you been for the last six years?"

Snape seethed. He already looked like he wished he could kill James at will, which usually took another five minutes to achieve. James must've caught him on an especially bad day. He smirked.

Good.

"Avoiding you as much as possible," Snape spat out. "I admit it hadn't been easy with the size of your ego."

Boring. James would've thought he'd have better insults at ready after six years of arguing; it wasn't even worth the effort of a proper response. He quickly chanced a glance at the girl. Remus was talking to her, his most reassuring smile firmly in place. He seemed to be taking care of things well enough.

"Of course," James's eyes snapped back to Snape; that tone never meant anything good, "there's always been one person you couldn't get to join your fan club."

"I doubt most people would consider _you _a person, Snape."

"Lily hasn't been too happy with you lately, has she?" he drawled, completely ignoring James's insult. He smirked over James's shoulder, towards where Remus had taken the girl. "How pleased would she be about _her?_"

James scowled. "It is none of your business wh—"

Snape jerked his wand up with a clean, sharp motion, forcing James to reflexively dodge the other boy's spell. He spun away from the stream of light just in time to see it shoot towards the girl and Remus. She shoved Remus against the wall and leaned flat against him, keeping both of them safely out of range. Just barely.

The spell left a spider web of cracks in the wall. The girl stepped away from Remus, took a long, disbelieving look at the cracks, and spun back around to face Snape. Her eyes were narrowed and she was glaring at Snape with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. James shifted uncomfortably, backing away from where the carnage would be; he knew better than to get between an upset female and her target.

"You have got to be _kidding me!_" she snarled, anger seeping into her voice like cold fog. Wisely, Sirius and Remus backed away a step as well. The Marauders were a lot of things, but they weren't stupid. "Are you trying to _kill _me, you _complete _idiot?"

Abruptly— like when he'd first figured out how to merge the Tracking and Identifying Charms for the Map— the pieces clicked into place. _Sectumsempra. _Snape had used his own— Dark magic— and on a— she was a _girl! _She didn't even have her _wand _out.

James flicked his wrist, caught Snape's wand, and slashed his own wand up in a short arc. Normally, he liked to use flashier, grander spells and gestures. For one thing, it was a whole lot more fun; for another, there was no reason to draw even more unwanted attention to himself by showing off with difficult nonverbal or wandless magic. This time, however, Snape had gone way too far and James wasn't even thinking.

"That was low even for _you, _Snivellus." He strolled up to Snape, levitating the upside-down boy until they were eye level with each other. "One does not attack a defenseless girl. Still afraid you can't beat me in a fair duel?"

"You wouldn't know fair if it bit you in your over-sized—"

_"POTTER!"_

He winced as soon as he heard the first syllable. He knew that voice, and he definitely knew that tone. James watched in what he hoped was a casual way as Lily stalked towards them, trying to ignore the pang of regret and shame that had accompanied her lectures for the past year. He hadn't done anything wrong. Again.

James nodded at her. Maybe he could keep this restricted to their Head duties, without any sort of personal involvement. He glanced at her face; that wasn't very likely. "Lily," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "I just caught Snape here—"

Lily dismissed him with an impatient wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter _what _he was doing." In that instant James's concentration broke. _What?_ "You have _no _right to treat anyone like this. It's not right and you know it, Potter."

Sirius tapped James's elbow, thankfully pulling his attention away from Lily's lecture. He jerked his head meaningfully towards Remus and the girl. James frowned. What the...?

The girl had Remus's arms in a white-knuckled grip that had to hurt and her eyes were squeezed shut, face pale and etched with pain. Could a stray spell have— no. Snape had barely started the duel before James had disarmed him. It was impossible unless it had happened before he'd—

"Potter, are you even listening to me?"

He had been—in a way— but James ignored her and went up to Remus, exchanging a worried look with the other boy. The other boy didn't seem to know what was wrong, either, which wasn't a good sign. Due to several… incidents over the years, he'd gotten quite good at emergency first aide (it was a Muggle term Remus had read about, but they'd all liked it). It came with being the best pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen.

"Not now, Lily," James muttered absently as he examined the girl.

_"James!"_

He turned and gave Lily a stern glare he rarely used. Immediately, her eyes widened and she fell into a stunned silence. That _was_ the first time she had ever seen that particular expression on him, so it wasn't much of a surprise; James had always felt it made him look too much like his father to use regularly. She recovered quickly, though, opening her mouth to say something more, probably continue her lecture.

"Not _now!"_

Without sparing her another glance, James turned his attention back to the situation with the girl. He motioned for Remus to move her over to him. Remus nodded and gripped her by her upper arms, gently shifting the weight to him instead of the tired werewolf.

Her eyes opened and she blinked up at him in a decidedly bewildered way that caught James off guard, momentarily stunning him. Her pupils were large, surrounded by a thin rim of dark brown, and unfocused. They shut again, her breath catching in her throat as she collapsed against him.

James thought she had passed out, but she moaned softly. Her grip on his shoulders tightened enough to be bruising and she started breathing in the harsh, controlled way that screamed barely controlled pain. He wrapped his arms around her waist, taking most of her weight. Maybe that would be enough to help.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said softly, hoping to calm her.

"Head." She took in another sharp breath. "Chest. Can't breath."

That couldn't be good. He gave Remus a pointed look and jerked his head in the direction of the Hospital Wing. The other boy took off to warn Pomfrey about her new patient.

"Don't worry," he muttered in a hopefully comforting voice as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to get her there. "We'll get you to Pomfrey and she'll fix you up right off." Her grip was getting looser, maybe she'd relax enough to be able to walk there with a little help. "I just need you to stay awake long enough to get you to the Hospital Wing."

Which was when she fainted. James sighed; this was probably easier, anyways. He grappled with how to best get her to Pomfrey before deciding on the classic way. He picked her up with one arm under her legs and the other around her back, her arm draped around his neck and her forehead resting against his neck, soft breath brushing against his collarbone in a way that made him flush slightly. It was— it was for the best.

James adjusted the weight in his arms. "Sirius, I need you to get Dumbledore."

"Sure." He glared over James's shoulder, where Lily was still fussing over Snape. "What about Snivellus?"

"_I _will take _Severus _to the Hospital Wing," Lily responded shortly. James couldn't tell if she was trying to start another argument or not. "Who knows what you lot did to him."

There way he was going to rise to the bait. Now was really not the time for a row; especially not when the weight in his arms was getting heavier. There was a sick girl who'd only experienced Snape's hospitality so far and he... he was entirely too tired of the constant fighting.

"Fine," he said in what he thought was a calm, controlled voice. Sirius arched one eyebrow; perhaps it was a bit too calm. "I have to write him up, anyways."

He ignored her sputtering anger as he walked away. But when Sirius let out a bark of laughter once they were out of hearing range, he let himself smirk.

* * *

James paced impatiently in the main section of the Hospital Wing, trying to ignore Lily's glare and the tired looks he was receiving from Sirius and Remus. Lily was furious with him, which really wasn't all that new, but it was starting to get irritating. He didn't understand why she couldn't just trust him.

But what he really didn't understand was why no one was telling them anything. Pomfrey had sent Snape away as soon as she had briskly confirmed that he was uninjured; probably a good idea, considering that James wasn't going to leave without more information and Remus and Sirius weren't leaving without him. Lily was most likely waiting to lecture him.

He sank down into the chair between his friends, covering his face with his hand. Sirius leaned over. "Mate, we can go," he said in a low voice. "Pomfrey'll tell us if something changes and you're knackered."

"I'm fine," he said as he rubbed his eyes.

Sirius gave him a strained look. "You don't even _know _her."

"Exactly." No one seemed to know her— and if Sirius didn't recognize someone who looked like that, she probably hadn't been around before— but he felt responsible. She'd _trusted _him.

Sirius sighed explosively, looking like he wanted nothing more than to knock James unconscious and _make _him rest. Luckily, he was still mostly obedient. To them, at least. "Fine."

"I'm with Prongs on this one," Remus added, getting one of Sirius's glares for his trouble. "I want to know who she is. You didn't see her face, Padfoot; she was scared and confused. I'm not even sure she understood what was going on."

"I said we could stay," Sirius replied sulkily.

They descended into silence again and James tried not to fidget. About ten minutes later, Pomfrey emerged from the private room Remus normally occupied, looking slightly harried. James sprung to his feet as the woman came up to him.

"She's resting, Mr. Potter. You may return to your dormitory."

James frowned. "But—"

"She will be fine." Pomfrey gave him a tired, motherly smile that she'd started to use after the incident with the staircase in third year. "It's just magical exhaustion. You may return in the morning; for now I'd like you to get some rest." Sirius made a triumphant noise and James turned around to glare at him. "Do I have to make that an order, James?"

"No," he replied quickly. James had learned that the definition of 'in the morning' remained much more ambiguous when she didn't give him a potion to ensure that he slept. He frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Did you check for any other injuries?"

Pomfrey gave him a slightly offended look. "Of course I did."

When she didn't elaborate, James added, "I'm asking in my capacity as Head Boy." Pomfrey's eyes widened; he didn't often fall back into his Head Boy status and he'd never abused the privilege, preferring to charm his way through obstacles. It was what he was good at, after all.

"There was minor bruising on her wrists and the back of her head," Pomfrey replied, sounding confused.

"I'll need documentation," he continued seriously. His next statement was really going to make Lily angry, but the nurse needed all the information he had and it was bound to come out eventually. "I... found Snape harassing her. It's how our, um, altercation started."

Pomfrey nodded. "I'll inform the Headmaster."

"Thank you." He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly uncomfortable with the responsibility. "Um... she won't be up until morning?"

"No."

There wasn't anything more he could do, then. "I'll go, then. Good night, Madam Pomfrey."

"Good night, James. Don't forget to eat something."

Sirius appeared next to him. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he eats."

She gave him an amused look and Sirius grinned cheerily back at her. "Thank you, Mr. Black."

Pomfrey left for the room again, leaving the Gryffindors alone in the Hospital Wing (aside from an unconscious third year Hufflepuff). Sirius tried to guide James out of the door—he was much more willing now— but Lily was standing there, arms crossed over her chest and an upset frown on her face.

"What is your problem, Potter?"

Remus stepped between them, forever the diplomat. "I think everyone's really tired. We should probably—"

"Butt out, Lupin."

Remus winced so slightly James was sure Lily wouldn't have noticed it, but he had and he was tired of the way she treated him and the way she treated his friends (Sirius was understandable, even if he still didn't like it, but Remus and Peter had done nothing to her). He really didn't want to deal with this.

"I don't have a problem, Lily," he replied, letting the exhaustion settle into his voice. "I'm just tired."

"You have always had a problem with Severus, and I don't understand why."

She actually _looked _confused. Had she not paid any attention at all to anything he'd said to Snape? Ever? "I don't want to talk about this now. I'll explain everything tomorrow, after I get some sleep."

Lily glared at him, regaining her ground. "After you three have time to cook up a good story? I think not."

"Evans," Sirius growled. Neither James nor Remus bothered telling him off about his tone. In this case it was deserved. "Back the hell off."

Flushing angrily, she opened her mouth to reply, but James Silenced her with a wave of his hand. "I'm leaving, Lily," he said in a calm, collected voice. "Get out of my way."

He had never reacted like that to her and it showed in the shock on her face. James removed the spell, but she still silently moved to the side, allowing him to leave.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **_This corresponds to the first chapter of _KM, _so if you enjoyed it then might want to take a look at that one, too. Either way, please review if you read it, especially if you enjoyed it.

_**Next time in **_**Why Not**_**:**_

_James scrambled over the bed. It just wouldn't do if she managed to get more injured before they'd even left the Hospital Wing. She was lying sprawled on her back, grimacing._

"_Are you okay?" he asked again, more urgently._

_She sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm fine."_

_He extended his hand and pulled her onto her feet when she gripped it. Bridget pulled her hand back, blushing prettily as she completely avoided looking at him. He grinned, hoping to relax her a bit. After a few seconds he managed to pull out a smile from her._

"_I'm James Potter," he said._

"_I know," she replied. Instantly, her blush deepened to a bright red. "I mean, well," she frowned, biting at her bottom lip (it seemed to be a nervous habit), "actually, that's exactly what I meant. Professor Dumbledore told me earlier and I kinda guessed it. I'm Bridget, Bridget Griffins."_

_James couldn't resist. "I know." When her frown deepened and she almost physically withdrew away from him, he shrugged. "Dumbledore told us last night." He waited for her to start smiling again before he stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you."_

"_A pleasure."_


	2. What's to Come

_**Disclaimer:**__I don't own anything. If I did, the Marauders would have lived long, fruitful lives causing mayhem and chaos, like it was meant to be. That never happened, therefore, I own nothing._

_**Author's Notes: **_Just like with everything else, this has taken longer than I'd have liked. Posting should be quicker, but I can't promise anything. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter Two

What's to Come

"_Everything is connected… no one thing can change by itself." –Paul Hawken

* * *

_

He should have known better than to leave the relative safety of his bedroom before midnight. His day had been awful so far, so James should've _known _that to venture into the world outside would only lead to disaster. And yet, he had ignored his gut feeling. He was thoroughly screwed.

"You look like a deer caught in the headlights, Potter. It's ridiculous."

James had no idea what she meant, but it didn't sound good. He took a deep breath before he surveyed his situation, letting his shoulders drop, relaxing. Lily had been reading on the couch, though she was now preoccupied with glaring at him, her arms clasped tightly in her lap and her legs crossed in a way that seemed defensive, almost hostile.

He was pretty sure he was quick enough to make it back to his room in one piece, but that felt too cowardly for his Gryffindor soul. Also, Lily was quick on the draw and he fancied keeping his ability to procreate.

"We need to talk," she said in a calm, professional voice that chilled James to his very soul. Those words, said in that tone by a woman never meant well for any man. "What the hell do you think you were doing to Severus? You said you'd stopped bullying him."

"I wasn't _bullying _him," he said tiredly, hoping (rather futilely) that she'd take him at his word. "I was doing rounds when I found Snape harassing…" James suddenly—inconveniently— realized that he didn't know her name, "that, um, girl."

"Harassing?" Lily repeated, incredulous. She stood up, advancing on him. This wasn't going well. "She wasn't even _near _him!"

"You didn't exactly come in at the beginning, Lily. He had her—"

"He was hanging upside down!" she shouted back. "He didn't even have his wand. _You _did!"

"I'd _just _disarmed him!" James snapped back, shocked. He'd _never _attacked an unarmed person before. "He'd nearly _killed _her and Remus!"

Lily recoiled. "I don't believe that," she said softly.

Brilliant. She was in denial and she wasn't going to listen to a word he said, true or not. James felt his heart drop as understanding reluctantly set in.

"Of course you don't," he muttered, not realizing he'd said it aloud until Lily jerked her chin up defensively, arms crossed over her chest.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked stiffly.

"I…" Godric, he didn't want to do this. "I think you know. You don't trust me." His voice sounded incredulous even to his own ears. "You treat me like I'm a particularly slow six-year old."

"Well," James could _see_ her closing off to him, "I wouldn't have to if you didn't act like one."

"The thing is… I don't. Not usually at least. Lily, I can't do this anymore." He gave her a somber look, feeling inexplicably relieved. "I'm sorry."

She hesitated, before turning back to her book. "I'm not sure I am."

James did the only thing he felt he could—he left.

* * *

"I broke up with her." James paused, sinking down onto his old bed in the sudden, complete silence of the room. "At least, I think I broke up with her."

"You… you what?" Sirius asked. He sounded like he was choking on his words. "With _Evans?"_

James groaned, sprawled haphazardly across the bed, and nodded. He could hear Remus take a deep breath, tapping his quill against the book as he carefully considered his next words in true Remus Lupin style.

"How are exactly are you unsure about it?" he finally asked. He had probably decided it was the simplest question to go with.

"I told her that I couldn't do it anymore," he replied blandly. He couldn't believe he had done that. He'd spent nearly _three years _chasing after Lily and he'd thrown it away.

"Oh," Sirius said knowledgably. "Yeah, that's a break-up line. That's a _real _break-up line. It's difficult to recover from, even if you're not in a real relationship."

Remus grinned, arching an eyebrow. "Like one of his."

"Shut up," Sirius snapped good-naturedly.

"He doesn't deny it."

James flipped onto his stomach. "We're talking about _me._"

He knew he shouldn't have said it once it left his mouth, but it was too late to take the words back and he couldn't back down. They'd never let him hear the end of it. Remus regarded him solemnly, disappointment etched in his every feature. James wondered where he was going to go with this.

"And we thought he was getting better with his egocentricity," Remus said, sounding like James's parents when they decided that he couldn't understand them because he'd done something so stupid his brain was obviously non-functional. "How very… unsatisfactory."

Sirius snorted. "He was. This _is _a humble James Alexander Potter." He grinned to himself. "Scary, isn't it?"

"I'm not laughing," James muttered into his folded arms.

"Merlin, Prongs," Sirius said incredulously as he lowered the magazine he'd been reading. James probably should feel honored that Sirius was ignoring the new Harpies Keeper for him. "You're really torn up over this skirt, aren't you? I thought you said you left her. But, this is Evans, so--"

"I did. I broke it off." He sat up, rubbing his temples with both hands. "She doesn't trust me."

"Prongs," started Remus, "I'm sure—"

"I'm going to bed." James ignored the sympathetic looks he was getting from his two friends and pulled the curtains shut around his old bed. Then he realized he still had his shoes on.

Things just weren't going his way.

* * *

James woke up when it was still dark out. Even Remus, with his habit of waking early to study, was still asleep. He sighed, staring up at the dark ceiling forlornly. He wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. It wasn't even four yet, and he was wide-awake.

Still, he didn't want to stay there and have to think. He needed something to do. His homework was done and he was ready for the next Quidditch match. He didn't have any… oh. That could work.

He pushed his curtains open, and peered into the darkness, hoping that his friends wouldn't wake up and find him sneaking around. He stuck his wand into his back pocket and grabbed his shoes. Okay, now what?

The Map. What he really needed to get was… the Map. James quickly decided that it was best not to light his wand— it was nearly guaranteed to wake one of his friends— and felt his way over to where Sirius kept his bookbag, kneeling down next to it.

He pulled his hand back out like it had been burned, staring down at the pack in disgust. That… James didn't know what that was and he didn't think he wanted to know. He gathered his flagging courage and, gingerly this time, opened the bag again. Triumphantly, he pulled it out the slightly singed parchment (they'd learned to put a Fire-Repellant Charm quickly after that incident) and activated the Map.

Just as quietly as he'd managed to get out of his bed, he tried to leave the room. Unfortunately, his coordination was a bit off and he tripped over Sirius's trunk, falling to the ground with a resounding crash. He froze, but when no one moved, he hurried out of the room, throwing a suspect sock back when he realized it had caught on his hair. He really didn't know where that had been and he didn't want to know.

Well, it should be easy from now on. He had the Cloak, after all.

* * *

"Mr. Potter," a wry voice said from behind him. James froze mid-step and slowly lowered his leg. "Out for a midnight stroll?"

James pulled the Cloak off and turned around to face the man. Dumbledore was standing in the empty corridor, smiling benevolently at him. James still didn't know how he managed to disappear off the Map sometimes, but it was very inconvenient; he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster. I just—"

"Couldn't sleep?" Dumbledore interrupted gently.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "No, sir."

"Ah," Dumbledore smiled at James and he wondered when he was going to get the inevitable detention an unauthorized midnight stroll warranted. "That is not unexpected with Miss Griffin's sudden appearance."

"Griffins?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Bridget Griffins. She's to start Hogwarts tomorrow. In fact I was just going to check on her status. Would you care to join me?"

He didn't have much of a choice. Besides, that had been his tentative plan anyways. "Yes, sir."

They walked in silence for a while longer until the professor cleared his throat. "Mr. Potter, have you ever wondered why I chose you for the position of Head Boy?"

To be honest, James had considered the conundrum when he'd first gotten the badge, but when he couldn't come up with anything that made any sense he had given up. "A bit, sir. I figured you knew what you were doing."

"I do have my hopes," Dumbledore said. "You, my boy, are a true leader and a true Gryffindor during a time in which we desperately need both."

He knew he should be grateful for the compliment. He was Albus _Dumbledore_, after all,and the man was a genius, but James couldn't help but feel a little worried. "Sir… I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I know that you are more aware of Voldemort's efforts than others your age due to your particular connections to the higher levels—your father especially—but this war, James, is about to get much, much worse. There will be no more innocents; sides must be chosen."

James stared at the suddenly serious man. "Sir?"

"I understand you and Mr. Black wish to join the Aurors?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

James nodded. "Yes, sir. We've already been accepted."

"Good." They'd reached the Hospital Wing. "I would like for you and your friends to consider how involved you wish to get in this conflict." Dumbledore peered at him over his spectacles. "But that is something you need not worry about right now. I would, however, like for you to assist Miss Griffins as best you can. I believe she may be as important as you in what's to come."

James stared at him. He'd always hated divination and that sounded like a prophecy. "What?"

"I'm afraid Miss Griffins has been… displaced," Dumbledore explained. "She knows of our world, but has never been in a position to experience it, despite her natural ability. Her mother is my goddaughter so she has come into my care for her protection. I trust you, James."

Brilliant. That was just… brilliant. "Yes, sir," he said weakly.

"Very good. I believe it would be wise for you to use that clever Cloak of yours now, Mr. Potter, at least until I can properly ask Madam Pomfrey." James threw the cloak over himself. "Oh, and Mr. Potter, you should be cautious; Miss. Griffins is from our future."

_What?_

* * *

James performed a quick Cushioning Charm on the hard wood and settled into the chair Pomfrey had provided for him. It seemed like she was going to make him earn the honor of staying in her Wing through pure discomfort since he wasn't sick and Dumbledore had made her let him stay; she hadn't seemed very happy about that. He leaned back, perching his feet on the bottom of the bed.

It looked like it was made for someone much bigger than the girl— Bridget— was, although that might be because she was curled up into a small ball, hiding her height. He watched as she shifted in her sleep and the dark hair fell out of her face. Her back arched as she stretched out, legs extending fully under the blankets and one hand cushioning her face.

Well, at least she was fit.

* * *

He jerked awake like something had hit him. James looked around, hand on his wand, as he tried to figure out what was going o— oh. Bridget was sitting up in the bed with a shocked look on her face, blankets clutched in tight fists.

"Bridget?" he called softly. "Are you okay?"

She didn't seem to notice; in fact, she seemed to have started panicking. James stood up and tried to lay a hand on her shoulder, but the girl pulled back violently. She overbalanced and fell backwards off the bed, landing with a dull thud on the floor.

James scrambled over the bed. It just wouldn't do if she managed to get more injured before they'd even left the Hospital Wing. She was lying sprawled on her back, grimacing.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, more urgently.

She sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm fine."

He extended his hand and pulled her onto her feet when she gripped it. Bridget pulled her hand back, blushing prettily as she completely avoided looking at him. He grinned, hoping to relax her a bit. After a few seconds he managed to pull out a smile from her.

"I'm James Potter," he said.

"I know," she replied. Instantly, her blush deepened to a bright red. "I mean, well," she frowned, biting at her bottom lip (it seemed to be a nervous habit), "actually, that's exactly what I meant. Professor Dumbledore told me earlier and I kinda guessed it. I'm Bridget, Bridget Griffins."

James couldn't resist. "I know." When her frown deepened and she almost physically withdrew away from him, he shrugged. "Dumbledore told us last night." He waited for her to start smiling again before he stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you."

"A pleasure."

Then James's two idiot friends entered talking loudly enough to have woken Bridget. Well, if she'd been asleep, that is. As it was, they were just an inconvenient interruption.

"I don't see why Prongs got to miss class. We _all _found her," Sirius complained. He sank into a sulk in James's chair. Remus took one look at him and dropped the books on his stomach, sighing to himself.

"Yes, but _he…"_ Remus stopped, staring back at James and Bridget. "Oh, you're both awake," he said. He looked down to where James still had Bridget's hand clasped in his own. She snatched her hand back.

Great, they'd managed to make her uncomfortable in less than five minutes. He glared at Sirius— it was probably his fault, anyways. "We are now."

Sirius grinned, wagging a finger at James. "You shouldn't fib, Jamie." James scowled at him. Sirius knew better than to call him that, especially in front of other people. "We know you were awake; you're standing in the middle of the room."

"Whatever." He didn't have the energy to deal with Sirius's cheer. His friend had gotten a full night's sleep. James placed a hand at Bridget's back, gently pushing her forward from where she was half-hiding behind him. "Mates, this is Bridget Griffins." She gave them a smile and a small wave. He pointed at Remus. "He is Remus Lupin." He smiled much wider than Bridget had, waving cheerfully. James waved carelessly in Sirius's general direction. "And that idiot is Sirius Black."

"Hey," he said. Sirius looked her up and down in a way that made James want to chuck something at his head. "You sure moved on fast, Prongsie."

"I don't want to talk about it, Sirius," he replied harshly.

Smiling, Sirius opened he mouth to give his biting response, but was stopped when Bridget raised a hand. The three boys gave her identical, shocked looks; no one shushed them. And no one ever did it so successfully. "Wait. Moved on from what, exactly?"

"He dropped his nutty girlfriend," Sirius said, probably relishing every second. He shuddered dramatically as James scowled down at him, arms crossed over his chest. "You've met her: Lily Evans. She never was good for you, mate."

Then she did something unexpected. Bridget ran a hand through her hair, sighing deeply. "You, uh," she waved a hand weakly at him. "Lily." She covered her mouth with her hand, looking inexplicably close to tears. "Oh, _God, _I'm screwed."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not much," she said weakly. James didn't get it. "If I may, um, ask, why did you do so?"

"She chose Snivellus over him," Sirius said before James could reply.

He gestured widely enough that Remus had to duck. Anyone else wouldn't have had quick enough reflexes, but Remus had spent enough time with them to develop ones almost as good as James's. It was impressive; James was pretty sure Remus could avoid any spell he sent at Sirius, but starting one of their rather infamous duels probably wouldn't make a good impression on the already skittish girl.

"Good riddance, I say," Sirius concluded

That was _it. _Sirius may be his best friend, but he wasn't James. "Will you _stop _talking for me?" he snapped. Sirius gave him a surprised look that James ignored as he turned to explain himself to Bridget. "What happened was…" Great. Sirius was right, "she took Snape's word over mine."

Bridget looked up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. He didn't know why she was so concerned about this. After all, most girls would be happy that he was available. He was a little insulted, now that he thought about it. "You broke up."

"Yes," he said clearly. "Lily and I are no longer together romantically and we never will be again. It just didn't work out." He shrugged. "She doesn't trust me."

"She was eating breakfast with him," Sirius added much too cheerily. "The traitor."

"And they're friends?" Well, they'd _been _friends before James had ever known Lily. It was rather widely-known. "Oh, God." Bridget backed up against the wall and slid down. Looking shocked, she let her head drop into her hands. "Five minutes and I change the course of history. _Five minutes."_

What?

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **_Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Thanks to _**WannaBeNinja **_for adding me to author alert; _**Wunmiii, Michelle Black a.k.a. Elle, WannaBeNinja, **_and _**DanceScreamSing **_for adding _WN _to story alerts; _**, Wunmiii, **_and _**SeedsAndMisdeeds **_for adding _WN _as a favorite; and _**Wunmiii,**_ and_** Michelle Black a.k.a Elle **_for reviewing.

Please review if you read it. More reviews guilt trip me into updating faster!

_**Next time in **_**Why Not:**

"_Potter?"_

_James got up off the wall and straightened up. He regarded her warily before he decided that she wasn't going to attack him. He nodded at her and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Hello, Lily."_

_Merlin, this was awkward._

"_I'm… I'm moving back to dorms," she said._

"_Yeah, Dumbledore told me." He ran a hand through his hair, wishing that he'd been able to avoid this confrontation for… well… ever. "He's having Bridget move there."_

_Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over chest. "Figures."_

_He froze. He'd thought—maybe—that she'd be able to be civil about this whole thing; she was the one who'd wanted him to grow up, after all. It didn't seem like it was going to work out that way, and it really wasn't fair to Bridget or him._

"_What is that supposed to mean?"_


	3. Everything's Changed

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything. If I did, the Marauders would have lived long, fruitful lives causing mayhem and chaos, like it was meant to be. That never happened, therefore, I own nothing._

_**Author's Notes: **_Just like with everything else, this has taken longer than I'd have liked. Posting should be quicker, but I can't promise anything. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter Three

Everything's Just Changed

"_One never knows what will happen if things are suddenly changed. But do we know what will happen if they are not changed?" – Elias Canetti

* * *

_

James knelt down next to the girl. She flinched away from him as if he were a Slytherin, which… no girl had ever done before. He frowned. There was something dodgy about this whole situation. He was missing a vital piece of information and he didn't like not knowing what was going on. It just didn't make sense for her to be so affected by a teenage break-up; especially one that everyone thought would eventually come about anyways.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Sometimes it was best to be direct.

"I—I don't." Bridget took a shaky breath and smiled weakly at him. It was the sort of smile that made his Gryffindor self want to… slay a dragon or something. "I don't think I can tell you, any of you. Not, yet, at least. I'm really sorry."

He really didn't understand this.

"Why can't you?"

She sighed and completely ignored his question. James watched as Bridget stood up, following her example before he gave into the temptation to look up her shirt; the last thing he needed right now was another talk from Remus about respecting the female half of their species.

"I need to see Dumbledore," she said firmly. "Now."

"Why?"

"I _can't tell you._" She sounded like she was going to burst into tears at any moment and James was torn between his incessant curiosity and that nagging feeling that he was not supposed to make girls cry. With shaking hands, she pulled her hair back into an untidy knot, looking up at him through dark eyelashes. "I really need to see Dumbledore." Bridget sighed with her hands resting on her hips, looking oddly relaxed for a girl only wearing pajamas in front of three seventeen year-old boys. "Now, if you will."

Remus cleared his throat. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"Why _not, _Remus?" she asked emphatically, dark eyes flashing as she gestured widely at the world. James, wisely, moved out of the way. It was smarter to let Remus, the calm, rational one, deal with the situation. The last time he'd tried to calm an irate girl, he'd nearly had his—well, it had been a close call. "Dumbledore _told _me to tell him if I changed anything what-so-ever and I managed to change one of the very few definite things I _know _about this particular piece of history!"

Wait… she what? Him and _Lily_?

"I understand," Remus replied reassuringly. Bridget's shoulders relaxed just a little and she no longer seemed likely to hex them. "But, perhaps you should change first."

Confused, Bridget looked down at her pajama-clad body, flexing her bare feet. "Right," she said in a small, much calmer voice. "That'd be a good idea." She sheepishly looked back up at them, a light pink blush spreading across her cheekbones. "Where are my clothes?"

Sirius sighed and James came to his senses. He reached over for the uniform McGonagall had brought earlier and held it out. "Here."

Previous ire completely forgotten, she smiled at him and gestured vaguely at the bed. "Toss it over, please." James threw the clothes onto the bed. The three boys watched, stunned into a confused silence, as she pulled the socks off the pile and attempted to put them on without sitting down or even leaning on something. She was showing remarkable balance; he wondered if she would be better suited for Seeker or Chaser. "Thanks."

She started talking then, but James was rather distracted by the fact that she had started changing out of the Pomfrey-supplied pajamas into her uniform. Granted, she was doing so without showing anything his mother would deem inappropriate, but still. She looked up at him in particular, and James abruptly started paying attention again. "There's really no chance you and Lily will, uh, yeah?" she asked hopefully.

Not a chance in all the levels of hell.

"No. Did you just _change_ in front of us?"

"Uh, yeah." She smiled awkwardly, suddenly embarrassed, although, really, what's the point _now? _ "Special talent of mine." Where do you learn _that_? Why? "It's kinda a long story. Can we go now?"

* * *

James could be a bit thick when it came to girls— he was lucky that he was charming enough to get out of most misunderstandings and that Remus was smart enough to keep him out of the rest— but there was definitely something bothering this one. He sent a questioning glance to Remus and Sirius, which started a quick, nonverbal argument made up almost entirely of eyebrow quirks and twists of the lip. It ended with James being pushed forward next to the determined girl.

He didn't know what to say, which was just as well as she didn't seem that keen on speaking. But James didn't like silence, so he fished for a proper question. He found nothing.

"What's the story behind that talent of yours? The clothes thing."

He blinked in surprise. That was probably one of the _stupidest _things he had ever said to a girl… well, a girl who wasn't Lily. He knew it with the same certainty that he had every time he said something particularly idiotic and Lily gave him that look… the one that said that she was going to throttle him.

Well, that and he could practically _feel _the exasperated looks his friends were sending at his back.

But, then Bridget laughed. It was soft and sounded more weary than elated, but there was definite amusement in there. Somewhere. James couldn't help but stare; people didn't usually laugh at him, not when he didn't intend for it to happen.

"Sports, mostly," she replied with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "My cousin and his friends. And my terrible habit of being _just _on time for everything rather than giving myself enough spare time to do simple things like change. This Hogwarts uniform is a lot like the one I've been wearing since I was nine, so I've had a bit of practice getting in and out of it in a way appropriate for a car full of boys my own age." She shrugged and lapsed into a gloomy silence again.

He gave the others a pleading look. Remus sent one back that said, quite plainly, that he thought that James was an idiot… a hopeless, pathetic loser of an idiot. James was inclined to agree, but Remus still stepped forward and gave the girl that reassuring smile that had gotten them out of more than one detention.

"Where are you from, Bridget?" he asked.

"Honolulu, Hawaii. Born and raised. You?"

She smiled back at the other boy, relaxing minutely. James dropped back next to Sirius where it was safer and he wasn't likely to say something else completely idiotic.

"Are you going to tell us what happened with Evans?" Sirius asked. He wasn't looking at James and his voice didn't hold even the faintest hint of teasing. So… not so very safe after all.

"I don't want to," he replied. Sirius didn't say anything for several more moments until James felt like he _had _to say something, anything. "She doesn't trust me."

"No, she doesn't. She never did. Look, Prongs—"

"Professor!"

Bridget ran up to Dumbledore, interrupting James and Sirius's conversation. James hadn't been so grateful to see the Headmaster since that incident with the hamsters and cabbage last year.

* * *

Sirius was grinning in a way that was starting to worry James. It was the sort of grin that had preceded that hamster and cabbage incident Remus is usually so keen on bringing up when they get Ideas; it had also preceded the month and a half of detention with hard labor that had followed the hamster and cabbage incident.

"She's interesting," he said. "I have a feeling everything's just changed. Okay, time for food."

James blinked at him; he should've gotten more sleep the night before. "What?"

"Supper, Prongs. It's about to start. See you in the Hall."

And, without even alluding to what he had _really _meant by his question, Sirius turned on his heel and left. Remus gave James an apologetic look, but rushed off after their friend. He sighed and leaned against the rough stone of the wall across from the entrance to the Headmaster's office to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And… he was bored.

"Potter?"

James got up off the wall and straightened up. He regarded her warily before he decided that she wasn't going to attack him. He nodded at her and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Hello, Lily."

Merlin, this was awkward.

"I'm… I'm moving back to dorms," she said.

"Yeah, Dumbledore told me." He ran a hand through his hair, wishing that he'd been able to avoid this confrontation for… well… ever. "He's having Bridget move there."

Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over chest. "Figures."

He froze. He'd thought—maybe—that she'd be able to be civil about this whole thing; she was the one who'd wanted him to grow up, after all. It didn't seem like it was going to work out that way, and it really wasn't fair to Bridget or him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked calmly, although most people who knew him would be concerned over the lack of his normal lazy drawl.

"She's certainly pretty enough to attract the attention of you four."

James gaped. She was being so petty. As if he'd just helped her because she was attractive… that was more Sirius's thing. "She needed help, Lily!"

"I really don't care what stupid, heroic thing you though you were doing, Potter," she bit out, glaring at him. "There's never a good reason to attack another student," Really? He could think of several, "especially four against one."

Four? She wasn't _listening _to him again.

"Maybe you should tell your precious Snivellus about that then," he snarled back. "After all he was the one—"

"Headmaster!"

Was she ever going to let him _fini—_? James froze and cursed to himself. He spun around to see a beaming Dumbledore and a rather embarrassed looking Bridget. He didn't know how long they'd been there or exactly how much they had heard between him and Lily.

Great.

* * *

She seemed nervous. Bridget was rubbing her forehead with one hand with her shoulders drooping rather impressively. It was a dramatic change from the take-charge way she had dealt with everything else since she'd woken up. The posture made her seem smaller, much like she had when she'd been asleep.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. Bridget dropped her hand and looked up at him. James smiled brightly. "The Sorting's harmless; everyone goes through it and no one's died yet."

"That," she said dryly, sounding tired and a little like his mother when she was trying to tell him that, no, dear, you aren't _that _funny, "is a spectacular way to make it sound somewhat dangerous and intriguing without actually lying." She cocked her head to the side. "I know the Sorting's done by a telepathic, talking, singing _hat_."

James blinked. What did 'telepathic' mean? He was about to ask her when she sighed.

"It's not the Sorting I'm worried about, James. I don't remember ever doing anything odd or unusual. I don't think I've ever _done _magic."

Er… what? But she was at _Hogwarts, _Muggles didn't… but there were ways for Muggles to be brought into Hogwarts and there were Muggles— rare as it was— who could see through illusions. He didn't quite understand how it worked, but it was like they were Muggleborn Squibs, as contradictory as that sounded.

But there were also witches and wizards who didn't show any sort of accidental magic and still turned out to be powerful enough to attend school. Neither one was really likely, but it was possible. There had to be _some _sort of explanation he could give her.

"That could be a problem," he said, wondering if there'd be some way to get Dumbledore or McGonagall's attention before the Headmaster introduced Bridget. It was… okay, it wasn't going to happen. The authorities tended (admittedly, with good reason) to ignore him most of the time.

She sighed. "No kidding."

* * *

"She's never done magic."

Right… James really had to learn how to give people a little warning before he dropped bombshells. Sirius and Remus were staring at him with identical expressions of shock and bewilderment. On the other hand, it was kind of fun to see the usually unshakable pair surprised.

"What?" they asked in a strange unison only James and Sirius could normally attain.

"She can't remember ever doing magic," he explained. He still felt a little bewildered about the whole thing. She'd certainly taken the whole magic thing well enough for someone who had never experienced it.

When James started fiddling with his fork instead of continuing to explain himself—not that he really could, when he thought about it— Sirius leaned forward slightly and Remus casted a quick silencing spell of their own devising over the three of them.

"That's not possible," he said in a low voice. "She's here. She… she _believes. _You know Muggles don't believe what's right in front of their face and if she was a Squib, she'd _know _she was a Squib. That's not something magical families just let go, even half-bloods."

"Well, she doesn't remember doing anything," James replied shortly. "Do either of _you _remember seeing her do magic? Anything at all?"

There were several seconds of silence.

"No," Remus finally said. "And Snape had her in a compromising enough position for it to be completely justified." He paused. "Is it possible to not have accidental magic?"

James and Sirius exchanged looks, both checking to see if the other had heard anything aside from the commonly held pureblood beliefs. Sirius didn't look any more enlightened than James felt.

"It's… unusual," James said reluctantly. He ran a hand through his hair and stopped tapping his fork against the table.

Sirius nodded. "That's why some pureblood families try to force accidental magic if it's taking too long. This just," he made a gesture that didn't mean anything James could decipher. "It doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Oh." Remus's brow scrunched in the way it did when he was thinking, jaw almost clenched. "Well, we're about to find out either way."

They turned about to the front as Bridget took her place on the stool and McGonagall shoved the Sorting Hat on the timid-looking girl's head. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **_I apologize once again for the lateness; I really hadn't intended for it to take this long. I hope to have the next chapter up soon, but I can't make promises as finals are the week after next. I will update it, though, and probably before the next update of _Kidding Me._

Thanks to _**Michelle Black a.k.a. Elle**_ and _**Naflower05 **_for the review, _**Naflower05 **_for putting _WN _on story alert, and _**Michelle Black a.k.a. Elle **_for fav'ing me as an author. Please review if you read it; flames will be ignored.

_**Next time in **_**Why Not**_**: **_

"_Bridget," he said again, gently grabbing her wrist before she started pacing._

_She jerked away from his touch, eyes wide and frightened as she lurched backwards and nearly tripped over the nearest chair. Reflexively, he reached out and steadied her, pulling her back onto her feet. She pulled her hands back like he'd burned her._

"_Don't touch me!"_

_James wheeled away at the fervor in her voice. He… hadn't done anything. He definitely hadn't done anything to deserve the undisguised fear he could hear there. He glanced at Sirius and Remus, who looked just as shocked as he did._

"_Just…" Bridget continued. Her voice was slightly hoarse, like she was trying not to cry, but she didn't sound mindlessly scared anymore and her expression had softened. "Just, please, right now I can't handle it."_


	4. I Already Know

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything. If I did, the Marauders would have lived long, fruitful lives causing mayhem and chaos, like it was meant to be. That never happened, therefore, I own nothing._

_**Author's Notes: **_I was a bit quicker with this chapter, wasn't I? Maybe? This is the longest chapter I've done so far (for _Why Not,_ at least) so I hope that makes up for the long wait a bit.

* * *

Chapter Four

I Already Know

"_This is your duty, to act well the part that is given to you." – Epictetus

* * *

_

Bridget was arguing with the Hat. She was _arguing _with the _Sorting Hat. _People just… didn't do that. Even Sirius hadn't argued with it and James knew he had expected to go to Slytherin. That, no matter what he said, he had been afraid of disappointing his family.

Of course, then he'd gone and done the opposite of what a "proper" Black would do in nearly every situation after that, so James supposed it didn't matter.

Bridget had looked the proper Hogwarts student as she sat down on the stool .with her uniform neat and her hair pulled back tidily and McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. After the first few tense moments where he and Sirius and Remus had waited for it to declare her unSortable, a Muggle in Hogwarts, it had become apparent that she was one of those rare, late-blooming witches. Or the Hat was bored and having them all on.

James groaned and let his face fall into his hands. She was rowingwith the Hat and he wasn't even all that surprised. Abnormal things just managed to happen around him. He didn't know how long he could take this.

"I think I like her," Sirius mused, sounding pleased and slightly surprised.

Slowly, James looked up at him. "What?"

Sirius's eyes darted to him briefly and— for a split second that comes every now and again— James wished his friend couldn't read him so well. Or maybe he was glad for it because that way he didn't have to explain how he had a duty now and it was going to be pretty hard for him to do it properly if Sirius wooed her, shagged her, and then broke her heart. James couldn't decide if she'd be more likely to look heartbroken for weeks or the scream and throw things, but he's relatively sure they'd be equally trying.

"I don't want to _shag _her or anything," he muttered defensively and that managed to get even Remus's full attention. Sirius sighed. "Look at her, Jamesy," he exclaimed, pointing, well, pointedly. Obligingly, James looked. Bridget was wrestling with the Hat, grasping it by its brim like you grabbed the lapels of someone you wanted to punch and muttering something very emphatically. "She has _spirit,_" he continued. He actually did sound fond rather than the normal… lustful. "Gryffindor, definitely."

Remus snorted and rolled his eyes; as one, they relaxed back into normalcy… or what passed for it. "Sirius, you put everyone you like in Gryffindor," he said, using the voice he did when he was amused by their stupidity. "The other Houses aren't terrible."

"Bah," Sirius dismissed easily, causing Remus to sigh again.

"No one _says_ that outside of a Dickens novel."

"Moony, you're letting your Ravenclaw show again." Sirius pulled at Remus's Gryffindor tie. "Also," he smirked, "I do. Bah." He flicked the tie so it hit Remus's face and James could _see _the moment Remus broke and was about to push Sirius's face into the mashed potatoes when—

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James's attention tore away from his friends and back up to the platform from which McGonagall was already glaring disapprovingly at them. (It was preemptive. There was no way she could know what they were planning for next week.) The girl seemed shocked. She continued to grip the Hat for several more moments before her entire body relaxed and, suddenly, she looked much smaller.

Bridget took off the Hat and handed it to a surprised-looking McGonagall, brown eyes doe-wide and turned just low enough that she wouldn't have to meet anyone's astonished gaze as she sat next to him. She hadn't looked like a Gryffindor up there, after all, and by seventh year you could usually tell. James leaned in closer than he probably should have, considering the way the muttering around him increased when he did so, and he definitely shouldn't have put his hand on her hip, but it had moved without consulting his brain and James Potter didn't have regrets.

Besides, she seemed to have shrunk under everyone's attention, looking so helpless that James had nearly forgotten that she'd been seconds away from kneeing Snape when they'd found her and he'd wanted to protect her. That was why he smiled comfortingly when she looked up at him and Dumbledore's assignment was why he was grateful that she smiled back at him.

The Headmaster (and Sirius, apparently) would kill him if she became his rebound.

* * *

Sometimes Sirius exhausted him. It was one of the regular "Inter-House Cooperation Committee Meetings" that occurred at least once a month (no one would admit they were parties, if only to avoid McGonagall's wrath), and normally they went, but it was the night before the full moon and James had gotten a grand total of three hours of sleep the night before. Besides, Bridget hadn't seemed nearly as enthused about her warm greeting as Sirius insisted she would be, and she was the excuse Sirius had used to get James and Remus to go.

James wasn't sure what to think. Bridget just… didn't seem like much of a people person, to be honest. She was still courteous and friendly, but it was in a quiet, almost shy way and that spark that she'd shown earlier with Snape, the one that had attracted Sirius's admiration, wasn't showing. She seemed almost… normal.

But, Bridget had been dragged off by one of the more friendly Ravenclaw girls about ten minutes in and James hadn't seen her since. He peered around the room, wondering where she'd gone off to and where Remus and Sirius were. It'd probably be a good idea to leave soon, anyways; they had to get up rather ear— oh, crap.

James muttered an apology to the person he'd been pretending to have a conversation with and made his way to the far end of the usually abandoned classroom, dodging several stray desks and a few overenthusiastic couples on his way there. His fingers brushed Sirius's collar as he passed him.

"We're leaving _now,_" he hissed in a low whisper, bending down.

Sirius gave him a questioning look that immediately dissolved into something more understanding when he saw where James was headed. He nodded and set off to get Remus, leaving behind a very put-out fifth year. The girl was curvy and blonde and precisely Sirius's type, but she'd known what she'd been getting herself into and she was already eyeing Newton, so James continued on his way.

"Hello Avery," he said pleasantly once he reached his goal. The other boy started slightly, his lips twisting down into a quick frown before he grinned back at James. He ignored it. "I see you've met Miss Griffins."

Avery's pale gray eyes roved over her body appreciatively while she stared back, wide-eyed. "Yes," he nearly purred. "Yes, I have had the pleasure."

He was not going to punch Avery in the middle of a crowded room. There was really only one way to get a pureblood like Avery to leave a pretty pureblooded girl alone, anyways, and that was to get it through his thick skull, under all the grease and lanky blond hair, that she was taken. James wished, for a moment, that Sirius was there instead; he was much better at doing this and _not _getting hit afterwards than James had ever managed to be.

But, Bridget took a step closer to him and James wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. Perhaps he wasn't going to get hit today, after all. Avery's frown returned with a vengeance and James felt a sharp pang of satisfaction. He was, after all, a Gryffindor and proper Gryffindors enjoyed annoying pureblooded Slytherin prats.

"Love, are you ready to go?" he asked lightly, turning his attention away from the boy and managing only to infuriate him further. Fun. Or… it _would_ be if Bridget wasn't looking up at him like she wanted to cry. "Are you all right?" James asked more sincerely as he brushed her fringe back.

She pulled back a little, but not enough to be obvious. "I'm—"

"She's fine, Potter," Avery growled and Bridget jumped at the noise. "You don't have to go shoving your nose into everyone's business. Just because you're a _Po_—Head Boy, it doesn't mean you can control everyone."

James spun around sharply to tell him exactly where he could shove _his _nose, and it definitely wasn't in anyone's business, let alone Bridget's, but the girl pulled his hand back down to her waist instead and she gave Avery a bright, utterly fake smile. He was stupid enough to buy it, and it would've only encouraged him if James had been from a family any less influential than the Potters were. As it was, it probably prevented Avery from hexing (or trying to hex) him. She turned her attention back to James, somehow managing to be both dismissive and polite.

His mother was going to love this girl.

"I'm fine," Bridget said in a low voice that was toned as if it was meant only for him, although James suspected she wanted Avery to hear it, too. "I am a little tired, though."

James's lips quirked up. Maybe she wasn't as helpless as he'd thought. "Perhaps we should go to bed, then," he murmured softly.

He slid his hand down from her waist to the curve of her hips, pulling a stern look from Bridget's eyes, but she was still smiling for Avery's sake. She couldn't do a damn thing about it unless she wanted to ruin the perfect ruse they'd made so he was safe at least until they'd gone into the hall. Of course, he didn't expect her to embra—James's attention was abruptly torn back to Bridget when she stepped into him, spreading her hand flat over his chest, right above his heart, before she gently gripped his tie and pulled him even closer.

"Perhaps we," fingers trailed across his collarbone and shoulders as the melody of her voice caressed every syllable, "should." She smirked and slipped away, leaving James feeling rather bereft. Merlin, she was good.

"Finally gone for a pureblood then, Potter?" he muttered bitterly, reminding James that it was all a farce to get the Slytherin to back off. At least it had worked. "Evans not enough for you anymore?"

James gave him a disgusted look. "Shut up, Avery."

* * *

"What did you do?"

What? James blinked at Remus. What _had_ he done? He… didn't think he'd done anything. He definitely hadn't done anything Remus didn't already know about. Remus heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes heavenward as if he were asking the Lord for some help, _any _help.

"She's freaking out about something. Come on." He grabbed James and hauled him out into the nearest empty—well, normally empty— classroom. "She responds to you. Fix it."

James stumbled forward and Sirius gave him a painfully grateful look, gesturing at where Bridget was pacing back and forth speedily and muttering to herself. He could've sworn she'd just been fine a few seconds ago. Cautiously (he knew better than to startle an agitated female) he approached her.

"Bridget," he called softly.

She turned towards him, but James wasn't sure she was seeing him or anyone else in the room. Then her eyes snapped into a focus so sharp it was startling. "Yes, James?"

"What's wrong?"

"I was… flirting with you," she said hesitantly, blushing pink again (she seemed to do that a lot). James resolutely avoided looking at Sirius and Remus. "I mean, I know it was just because of that idiot Avery, but I… don't normally do that? I'm not like that. This is so freaking _weird_."

She was starting to panic again. She rubbed vigorously at her forehead, muttering to herself again.

"Bridget," he said again, gently grabbing her wrist before she started pacing.

She jerked away from his touch, eyes wide and frightened as she lurched backwards and nearly tripped over the nearest chair. Reflexively, he reached out and steadied her, pulling her back onto her feet. She pulled her hands back like he'd burned her.

"Don't touch me!"

James wheeled away at the fervor in her voice. He… hadn't done anything. He definitely hadn't done anything to deserve the undisguised fear he could hear there. He glanced at Sirius and Remus, who looked just as shocked as he did.

"Just…" Bridget continued. Her voice was slightly hoarse, like she was trying not to cry, but she didn't sound mindlessly scared anymore and her expression had softened. "Just, please, right now I can't handle it. You…" she waved a hand recklessly, "you remind me of someone and I can't deal with that right now. I swear I'll calm down in a few minutes. It was just… it just happened and I can't do it."

Smoothly, Sirius stepped in and took over the disaster James had inadvertently created. Her attention shifted to the other boy, letting James relax. There'd been… pain in her eyes, a sharp, raw pain that had hurt him to think he might've caused, even by accident. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered by it. He grinned, tilting her chin up towards him with a single motion.

"What just happened?" he asked, surprisingly sympathetic. "A bad break-up, was it?"

Her face shut out all emotion as if someone had stunned her. "No," she said in a calm, collected voice void not only of all pain, but of any feeling at all. "A painfully good funeral."

* * *

James felt like an arse. He didn't know what he had done or how he could've prevented it and Bridget didn't even seem all that upset with any of them, but he still felt like he'd done something incredibly stupid.

He'd been feeling like that a lot recently.

He trudged along behind Sirius and Bridget, who were bantering easily enough in front of him, wondering how he was going to tell her that they were supposed to share a dormitory when she could barely even look at him. Wrapped up in his thoughts, James didn't notice her stop suddenly until he had to swerve to avoid walking into her.

"Speaking of friends," she started inquisitively, "where's Peter?"

They froze. Bridget had said it as if she knew him, as if she knew that he was just as important a part of the Marauders as the three of them. No one would have told her that, if they'd bothered to mention Wormtail at all; everyone thought he was just another tag along.

Remus cleared his throat. "You know about Peter?" he asked, calmer than James knew he would've asked.

"Um, yes." She pulled at the sleeve of her shirt. "I thought we had gone over the whole from the future thing. Did Dumbledore forget to mention that I know who all of you are?"

James resisted the urge to groan. Of course he had, Dumbledore _loved _screwing with their minds. Also, James had forgotten to mention the "from the future" bit to his friends.

"Yes," Remus continued, still calm. "He did."

Bridget seemed to deflate a bit at that. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out."

"That's okay," James said before he really thought about it. But she smiled at him, so he figured he hadn't done anything wrong. "Peter is at his great-aunt's funeral. He should be back by dinner tomorrow."

There was a short, rather awkward pause until Remus spoke.

"Speaking of tomorrow," he said, "some of us need to attend class in the morning. Sirius and I should go."

"Why?" Sirius whined dramatically, draping himself over Remus. "_I _don't have class."

Oh, Sirius should've known better than that. He really should have known better than that. He'd only been living with James and Remus for six years. James smirked. "We know," he drawled.

He was just preparing for Sirius's reply when Remus ruined all of his fun. He didn't know what the rush was; it wasn't like they hadn't stayed up all night before. "You still have to accompany Bridget to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

Sirius looked between Remus and where Bridget was standing off at the side and crossed his arms over his chest in the universal sign of sulking. "Oh all _right_." He glared one last time at James and James was feeling pretty pleased with himself, but Remus had seen it enough times that he merely ignored them both.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to go as well," he said to Bridget. That's right. James had nearly forgotten about the full moon. They'd have to make sure they were back from London in time to go to the Shack; there was no way Peter would go by himself. "My mother's ill and I'll be leaving after lunch to visit her."

"Oh, that's okay, Remus."

Abruptly, her slightly concerned expression crumpled. James recognized that look. Shite.

She knew. James didn't know or really care how she'd figured it out so quickly, but she was looking between Remus and the moon with the same wide-eyed expression of realization that Sirius had had when he'd first figured out their friend's secret.

"Uh… Remus?"

And, from the hesitant look she was giving Remus, she was going to tell him, too. James didn't want to deal with this.

"Yes?"

There was no way this was going to turn out well.

* * *

Well, that had gone better than he'd expected. Bridget had actually managed to make Remus feel good about himself the day before the transformation, which was pretty much a miracle in and of itself. She turned to him, looking relieved.

"Now what?"

"Now, I show you where you're supposed to sleep." James dropped an arm around her shoulders and started to make his way back to the dorms. He still hadn't told her that she was supposed to stay with him, but she wasn't asking and he thought it was best to wait until he _had _to tell her.

"Oh." She looked like she wanted to ask where they were going. Luckily, she didn't. "That's, um, nice."

They walked on for a while in silence for a while. James, who knew exactly where he was going, took the time to watch her unobserved. After all, this was a lot for someone to take in and it wouldn't be that out of the question for her to have more breakdowns like the one she'd just had.

Bridget did seem to be taking it rather well overall. At the very least, her nervousness could be explained away as the anxiety that came with being a new student in a foreign country. She seemed smart enough to be able to catch up without stumbling that much, too, especially with three of the top students helping her along.

And with the way she was looking at the castle— awed and utterly engrossed, almost lovingly running her hands across the stones—James thought that this was a girl they could drag around the halls without getting bored or wanting to go back to the Common Room.

"Um, so where am I staying?" she finally asked. She sounded like she had been building herself up to the question.

"Dumbledore told me you were going to stay in the Head dorms, Evans's old room."

James ignored the flash of horror that ran across her face, instead turning to the portrait in front of the Head dorms. He waited for several seconds for Ashlynn to appear, but she seemed to be hiding from Bridget, who was starting to look at him like he was insane.

"Oh come on," he said irritably. "She'll be living here from now on, so you'd best get used to seeing her."

After another ten seconds, the fairy flew out from one of the far trees, fluttering in front of him. She gave him a stern look, frowning prettily at him, and elegantly arched a single, black eyebrow.

"Animus prius vita."

* * *

James frowned down at the Map, wondering what had possessed him. He needed to learn to be more patient. He frowned and drew his wand across the parchment slowly. There was a small possibility that he'd be able to… undo what he had done, but he didn't have much hope for it. In fact, it was probably easier just to re-write the parts he'd erased.

Remus was going to kill him.

He spread the parchment on his closed Arithmancy text and perched the Quick-Dry Inkwell on his thigh before getting to work. This was going to be… fun.

It took him nearly an hour to finish half of the erased labeling and he was starting to get a little bored, but James knew better than to let himself think as much. Whenever he got bored something always happened, and it wasn't always something good.

"What are you doing?"

James started violently at the nearness of her voice and his hand jerked down. He stared at the long streak of black that put a wall in the middle of Transfiguration hallway. Shite. Remus was going to destroy his _soul_.

He folded the Map back up (he could clear it later), and stuffed it in his book. "Transfiguration essay."

Bridget frowned at him and sat down sideways on the couch, legs crossed. James got the distinct feeling she didn't completely believe him.

"Your Transfiguration essay looks awfully like a map and an Arithmancy textbook," she observed.

Damn. "Yes," he said with a confidence he didn't feel, grinning at her, "well, it, uh, is?"

He needed to work on his lying. She leaned close and, with a smug smile, pulled the parchment out of the book. Bridget leaned back again and James was about to snatch it back when she ran her fingers carefully, almost reverently along the edges.

"Brilliant."

James withdrew his hand. "I, uh, it's a project for Transfiguration."

Bridget waved a hand, eyes still focused on the Map like it held the meaning of life itself. "Don't bother, love, I already know about the Marauders' Map."

What?

"You… do?"

"Yup. I knew about Remus, how does this really surprise you?" She looked up from the Map, a fond smile curving her lips up and interest making her eyes bright. "What were you doing to it?"

Um… "I was fixing the spellwork," he replied, still wondering how she knew about it, "but that managed to erase some of the map."

"Oh." Bridget tilted her head to the side, squinting down at the parchment. "Your handwriting is a bit… illegible."

With most girls, he would've been offended, but she sounded more… matter-of-fact than anything else. James leaned forward so he could see what she was looking at. "How do you know that's my handwriting?"

She gave him an ironic look over the Map, smiling slightly. "Because the majority _is _legible," she said dryly.

James ran a hand through his hair. "Right," he admitted, if a bit reluctantly. "Remus drew most of it and labeled it. I did the spellwork."

And it was bloody hard stuff, too; he'd had to craft most of it himself or patch it together from several different charms or incantations. It had taken _months _to get it even close to right.

"And Peter and Sirius brought the snacks?" Bridget asked, looking back down at the Map. James found himself smiling. She'd fit in just fine with the rest of the Gryffindors.

"Yeah." Well, they had. "But they also did most of the legwork." And they had _eaten _most of the snacks. It was only fair that they had to make runs to the Kitchens.

"It really is quite amaz—"

Bridget reeled backwards and nearly toppled head over heels off the couch, but James had his hand wrapped around her wrist before he'd fully realized she was falling and pulled her towards him. Her body hit his with a solid thunk that pushed him back into the couch. James, however, was rather distracted by exactly what was pressing against his chest and the sensation of her legs wrapped around his hips.

She blinked at him, close enough that he could feel her breathing and see the blush slowly turning her cheeks red. James wasn't sure how to handle the situation. He didn't have a girlfriend anymore, but he also normally knew whether a girl was interested in snogging him or not (they were more often than not). This time he didn't have a clue.

"You were holding an inkwell, weren't you?" she asked calmly.

James suddenly noticed that the front of his shirt was wet.

"Yeah."

Bridget slid her arms down from where they were wrapped around his neck to his shoulders, trying to move farther away from him. Nervously, she bit at her bottom lip, resolutely avoiding looking up. He didn't know what was so wrong with him. Of course, he was kinda holding her hostage on his… lap. Okay, he could see why she wasn't looking at him.

"You don't happen to know where that ended up, do you?"

He had a pretty good idea. James gave her an apologetic smile. "I think it's between us."

"Right," she sighed. There was a short pause during which her blush got even deeper. She looked back up, somehow managing to completely avoid looking him in the eye, even though he was less than six inches away. "Um, I don't really, uh, know how to get up."

He really didn't see how that was a problem.

"James?" she prompted impatiently. He grinned.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to get up now."

"Why?"

Bridget rolled her eyes and she probably would've crossed her arms if she'd been able to. "_James_," she said again. His grin widened but she was quicker. "Help me up."

"Of course," James replied, a wicked idea forming in his mind. She was probably going to hit him after this.

Hoping that he'd be able to finish his plan without stumbling, James tightened his hold on her waist and stood up, feeling her sharp intake of breath as much as he heard it. She tensed up, tightly winding her arms around his neck as she buried her face against his neck. Almost reluctantly, he released his hold on her, confident that she would keep herself up.

She did.

"Now," he said, trying not to sound smug, "you have to let go of me."

James could nearly hear the argument going on in her mind, but she eventually unfastened her legs from above his hips so she could get down. He put his hands back on waist and, when she let go of his neck, lowered her to the ground. She kept her face buried in his shirt, though.

Abruptly, she let go and took a step back, avoiding his eyes. "Please don't do that again."

That was the only thing he needed to hear to know that Bridget had been more affected by their position than she'd like to admit. "So I should just let you fall?" he asked innocently.

Bridget rolled her eyes, but ignored the bait.

"Yes, please— oh, my _clothes._" She frowned down at the ink splattered across the dark gray of her skirt. James thought it looked rather artistic, but he was smart enough not to say so. "I'm all covered in ink."

With a rather dramatic sigh, she fell back onto the couch. James sat down next to her, wondering what he should do now. She hadn't hit him, at least.

"Maybe we should get changed," he suggested.

It was the logical thing to do and Moony would've been proud. Sirius, on the other hand, would've wanted him to say that they should just get rid of the clothes altogether. James was glad to say that he wasn't _that _stupid.

Bridget sighed again. "I would, except I don't have any other clothes."

"You don't?"

"Nope. I don't even…"

That's right. McGonagall had brought the uniform. He wondered what had happened to the clothes she must've come with or even the Muggle clothes she'd had on when he'd first met her. Well, he could fix that at least.

James stood up and went to his room, quickly finding a spare shirt and a new pair of pants his mother had sent him last week. For some reason, girls liked sleeping in boys' pants and he wasn't going to argue. He reemerged and held the bundle of clothes out for her.

"Here you go."

She tilted her head and looked between the clothes and James, uncomprehending. "What?"

James really didn't think it was that complicated of an idea. "You can borrow these tonight," he still explained, "and I'll get you a uniform tomorrow. Evans should have something that could fit you."

Of course, he'd rather ask Willow, but she was a Ravenclaw where Bridget was a Gryffindor. Besides, she had a Charms test coming up (not her strongest suit, although he'd never admit it aloud) and was likely to tear his head off if he interrupted, mad skirt that she was. Come to think of it, Evans was just as likely to do that. Maybe Sirius had a "friend" he could nick some clothes from.

"Thank-you."

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **_Well, anyone who's read _Kidding Me _will know that I left out James's response of "You could change here, if you like," but I thought I might end on a… less suggestive note because he spent so much of the chapter being a… teenage boy, so that's what you've got. Also, for anyone who's wondering, the two scenes that I added in this chapter did take place in KM, but I couldn't find a good way to write it from Bridget's point of view (maybe someday it'll come to me) and she's stubborn enough that she'd purposefully not think about it afterwards. Besides, you guys deserve some new scenes along with the KM favorites.

Next update should be soon as I'm halfway through it (I was on a roll last night), and it'll definitely be up before the next chapter of KM (I am trying to catch up, not just keep up). On a more general note, the next update for my profile will be either one of the one-shots I'm cleaning up right now or the new chapter of _WRF_, so you guys can look forward to that.

Thanks to_** Coquettish**_, _**ObsessedandRepulsed**_ and _**Lady-DarkHuntress **_for putting _Why Not _on story alert, _**Coquettish **_for favoriting me, and _**Naflower05**_, _**Michelle Black a.k.a. Elle**_, _**Coquettish**_, and _**Hannah **_for the reviews. Please (please, please, please) review if you read it. James likes to know when he's appreciated. Flames will be (as always) ignored.

_**Next time in **_**Why Not**_**:**_

_James felt the explosion coming before it happened. It probably had something to do with all those times they'd accidentally (and purposefully) blown things up at school, but he could still feel the magic build up in the air._

_He'd hoped he could find his mother and Sirius before this._

"_Draw your wand," he instructed as quickly as he could, his hand wrapped around her smaller one as he pulled her away from whatever it was causing the build-up. "If anything happens," which it will, "stay close to me, point your wand at anyone in black and yell _Stupefy_." It was the easiest spell his could think of and he didn't want her to accidentally kill someone if he could stop it._

_He froze and Bridget's eyes widened as her body recognized the change, even if she didn't understand it, as the magic broke through the Alley's barriers and shields. Her reflexes took over a second before his, dropping her to the ground into a defensive ball, as the air blew towards them, reducing everything in its path to rubble._

_He threw himself on top of her, curling his arms protectively around her, and waited for the world to settle._


End file.
